Elite Onyx Vipers
Stats *Life: 1 *Move: 7 *Range: 1 *Attack: 3 *Defense: 2 *Points: 100 *Figures Per Squad: 3 Abilities *'Slither': Elite Onyx Vipers do not have to stop their movement when entering water spaces. *'Frenzy': After you take a turn with the Elite Onyx Vipers, roll the 20-sided die. If you roll a 16 or higher you may take another turn with the Elite Onyx Vipers. *'Evasive 8': When an Elite Onyx Viper rolls defense dice against an attacking figure who is not adjacent, add 8 defense dice to the defending Viper. Synergy *May receive Acolarh’s Ullar’s Amulet movement bonus. *May benefit from Venoc Warlord’s Frenzy Enhancement ability. *May receive Venoc Warlord’s Scout Leadership movement bonus. *May add one to their attack dice when adjacent to Brave Arrow and attacking an adjacent figure. Behind the Game The Elite Onyx Vipers are an exclusive unique squad that was included in a special Wal-Mart 2nd edition set of The Rise of the Valkyrie master set for a limited time. The origin of this Viper squad is akin to the reason for the existence of the Venoc Warlord. Many were not happy with the Venoc Vipers' complete lack of defense. While in the end the Viper Warlord was created to give the Venocs an edge, the Onyx are a "fixed" version of the Venoc. The Vipers have also been released in Wave 10 along with Sir Hawthorne and Nerak the Glacian Swog Rider. *'Continuous Rolling' How does Frenzy work? Can I keep rolling for Frenzy if I get it on my first try? Yes. You can keep rolling for Frenzy after each turn until you roll less than a 16 or choose not to roll any more (or they all get killed by counterstrike or something). If you're lucky, you can take multiple turns with the Vipers before your opponent has a chance to retaliate! *'Applicable Attack Types for Evasive 8' Does the Elite Onyx Vipers' special power Evasive 8 work against special attacks like: Airborne Elite's grenade attack, Deathwalker's explosion, and Mimring's Fire Line special? The Evasive 8 power works against any attacking figure that is not adjacent. Normal attack or special attack does not matter in this case. Strategy Onyx Vipers are much more popular then their Venoc counterparts for the simple reason that these Vipers have defense, yet can receive all the bonuses that the Venoc get from the Warlord. Being Unique that can also benefit from Viking Spirit powers and they have a third ability to boot, Evasive 8. When one looks at Evasive 8, it is clearly a very powerful Special Ability. It basically turns your Elite Onyx Vipers into near - invincible units when attacked from afar. What makes them even more frightening to face is that Special Attacks do not negate Evasive 8 which makes sending ranged units after the Elite Vipers a foolhardy maneuver. It is for that reason the Elite Onyx Vipers are feared by ranged units everywhere, as an Attack of 3 is enough to kill most ranged units. The best targets are most unique ranged squads and the majority of them hate the Elite Onyx Vipers with a passion since from afar the Onyx Vipers are so resilient to their ranged fire. Of course, this allows the Vipers time to reach them. To add insult to the injury, most unique squads are almost as vulnerable in melee as the Onyx Vipers, and suffer just as much from losing even a single member. The Krav Maga Agents, for example, will be loathe to ever face an Elite Onyx Viper - their Stealth Dodge will not take effect when the Vipers attack them from melee, and the Agents will have a hard time killing the Vipers from range. An Attack of 3 has a good chance to kill a Krav Maga Agent, and 3 Attacks of 3 against them is bad for their health. Other units that make excellent targets are the Airborne Elite and the Marro Warriors. Most unique ranged squads are fine targets; the only real exception are the Nakita Agents, due to their Engagement Strike 15. The Zettian Guards are a special case - while they have a high defense, they have a pitiful attack that will allow the Vipers to get at least six attacks over the course of three turns assuming they kill one every turn, and that will eventually pierce the guard's armor. However, one must remember what the Zettian Guards must do - they must draw fire away from their allies. If there are other, better targets, don't attack the Zettian Guards. The second best are unique ranged Heroes. The majority of them are frail, and while it isn’t too harmful to your opponent if they lose some life, chopping and slashing their health away is certainly harmful. As a plus, they are slightly easier to kill then the Unique (ranged) Squads, mainly because you can deal more than one wound per attack to them, and are also more numerous, making you more likely to encounter one. This is especially true with the ranged Heroes with low defense, as you can kill them in about two or three hits without any retaliation! Syvarris, for example, will not last long against the Elite Onyx Vipers with only a Defense of 2 and Life of 4. All the ranged Heroes, except Major Q9 (massive defense and ability to eliminate the whole squad with one activation), Kaemon Awa (Counter Strike/Quick Release can be used in melee), Me-Burq-Sa (Paralyzing Stare), and Deathwalkers 8000 and 9000 (high defense). The minor exception is James Murphy, due to his Whip 12 but weak Defense. Category:Ullar Category:Viper Category:Unique Squad Category:Rise of the Valkyrie Category:Viper's Vengeance Category:Valkrill's Gambit Category:Repaint Figures